Exclusive: Richard Mourdock braces for fallout

INDIANAPOLIS — Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock said Wednesday he expects Democrats to unleash a barrage of attacks over his remarks about pregnancies caused by rape, but he still expects the GOP to rally to his cause with control of the Senate potentially riding on the race.

“They will certainly run, negative crazy TV commercials,” the Indiana candidate told POLITICO in an exclusive interview. “They’ll change themes. [But] we are at that time of the season, frankly, when I think people are almost tuning them out. … I don’t know if they’re going to have much impact.”

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Asked if he’s worried, the tea party-backed Republican responded: “You use the word ‘worry.’ I’m a candidate, candidates always worry about everything. I’ve been on this trail now for 613 days — there hasn’t been a day I haven’t worried about something, so we just keep pushing forward.”

He went on to say the stakes are simply too high for Republicans to bail on him. Democrat Joe Donnelly has waged an unexpectedly strong campaign and put in play a seat that most prognosticators believed was Mourdock’s to lose.

“This race is for the majority [of] the United States Senate,” Mourdock said. “I’ve got a lot of … calls of encouragement” from Republican leaders. “They recognize this race is about more than one comment in one speech, it’s about 51 votes ultimately.”

Mourdock’s survival strategy is this: Explain his anti-abortion position, which he believes is in line with this conservative-leaning state; apologize if any were offended by his remarks; and hope the controversy blows over or Democrats overreach.

President Barack Obama’s campaign and Democrats across the country sought to tie Mourdock’s comments to Mitt Romney, as both sides make a serious push for women voters who could decide the election.

“This is an issue where Mitt Romney is starring in an ad for this senator, and it is perplexing that he wouldn’t demand to have that ad taken down,” Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday. “I think it is clear that Mitt Romney, that many Republicans who are running for office including him, including Mr. Mourdock have very extreme positions on issue that women care deeply about in this country.”

The comments that set the controversy in motion came during a Senate debate Tuesday night, where Mourdock said that “even if life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”

The Romney campaign quickly distanced itself from Mourdock’s words — but still backed his candidacy and won’t be taking down an ad where Romney endorses Mourdock.

“Gov. Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock, and Mr. Mourdock’s comments do not reflect Gov. Romney’s views,” Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said. “We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest but still support him.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee also offered support for Mourdock, saying his comments about a pregnancy from a rape being part of God’s will were being blown out of proportion. The national Republican support for Mourdock stands in contrast to the abandonment of Rep. Todd Akin’s Senate campaign after Akin’s comments about “legitimate rape” and pregnancy.

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Mourdock, part of a growing number of Republicans hoping to deny abortion access to women, received a high-level endorsement from Mitt Romney earlier this week.

Update Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), the severely conservative congressman who is the GOP’s nominee for Indiana governor, parted ways with the NRSC’s decision to defend Mourdock: “I strongly disagree with the statement made by Richard Mourdock during last night’s Senate debate. I urge him to apologize.”

Update In a statement emailed to ThinkProgress, NARAL Pro-Choice America called on Romney to withdraw his endorsement of Mourdock: “Mr. Mourdock’s lack of compassion for rape survivors is callous, insulting, and completely out of touch,” NARAL president Nancy Keenan said. “What is equally disturbing is the fact that Gov. Romney has endorsed Mourdock and appeared in a TV ad on his behalf. Unless Romney takes back his endorsement, women voters should assume that he embraces these same extreme anti-choice views of Mr. Mourdock.”

Update Republican former New Jersey Governor and Bush EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman echoes the call for Romney to unendorse Mourdock: “Mourdock’s comments damage all Republicans and especially Romney as the fight for the woman’s vote intensifies. This could be a defining moment for Romney and he should immediately denounce both Mourdock and the comment.”

Update Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) cancelled a trip to Indiana to campaign with Mourdock, although the Mourdock campaign claims she did so at their request.

Mourdock, part of a growing number of Republicans hoping to deny abortion access to women, received a high-level endorsement from Mitt Romney earlier this week.

Update Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), the severely conservative congressman who is the GOP’s nominee for Indiana governor, parted ways with the NRSC’s decision to defend Mourdock: “I strongly disagree with the statement made by Richard Mourdock during last night’s Senate debate. I urge him to apologize.”

Update In a statement emailed to ThinkProgress, NARAL Pro-Choice America called on Romney to withdraw his endorsement of Mourdock: “Mr. Mourdock’s lack of compassion for rape survivors is callous, insulting, and completely out of touch,” NARAL president Nancy Keenan said. “What is equally disturbing is the fact that Gov. Romney has endorsed Mourdock and appeared in a TV ad on his behalf. Unless Romney takes back his endorsement, women voters should assume that he embraces these same extreme anti-choice views of Mr. Mourdock.”

Update Republican former New Jersey Governor and Bush EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman echoes the call for Romney to unendorse Mourdock: “Mourdock’s comments damage all Republicans and especially Romney as the fight for the woman’s vote intensifies. This could be a defining moment for Romney and he should immediately denounce both Mourdock and the comment.”

Update Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) cancelled a trip to Indiana to campaign with Mourdock, although the Mourdock campaign claims she did so at their request.

I look forward to casting my vote for Joe Donnelly. I think he will be more conservative than I would like (somewhere between Evan Bayh and Ben Nelson) but for sure a much better alternative than Richard Mourdock.

This is how white Republican males think, and you can bet Mr. Flip/Flop Romney would not fight their opinions if he got in office. Watch out women, we are about to become second class citizens again if these guys are allowed to get power.

This is another classic example of one man trying to impose his own personal religious beliefs on the rest of society. This is why so many Americans are fed up with Christian extremists. I don`t care what he wants to believe in, but don`t try to force me into buying into his weird version of reality.

No one can really say who the real Mitt Romney is and what he really wants to do. Face it, you simply can't.

Name any of Romney's ever-changing positions on core issues and there's a speech, interview, or debate with Romney saying the exact opposite when it served his purpose.

How can a man so devoid of conviction, so jello-like and spineless, so willing to toss his core values just to further his own political ambition, so lacking in integrity and consistency, and so willing to change positions every time the political winds shift be a good leader? Are Americans so gullible, they actually believe a chronic flip-flopper like Mitt Romney?

Romney says we were better off 4 years ago. Really?

Is there a business in America that wants 2008 back? Is there an investor that wants 2008 back? Do you want your 401k to go back to where it was in 2008? Losing 700k jobs per month was a good thing? If you think so, vote Romney, and we'll eventually get to re-live it. Yea!

And we can thank easily manipulated Limbaugh lemmings and the brainwashed watchers of Fox news for being susceptible to four years of 24/7 Obama bashing propaganda claiming that it was somehow "Obama who wrecked the economy".

They say those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.....but since conservatives have successfully rewritten history, and gullible Americans are buying it, we probably will. But hey, at least he’s a white guy right? That makes the destruction of the middle class worth it.

I have a real problem with people who think every opinion they have is "God's will." It's just so convenient. It makes for a one--fits-all rationalization for anything they want to believe and to justify imposing their beliefs on others. Almost every despot and mass murderer in history believed they were doing God's will. Every time I hear someone calling their opinions God's will, I know they are just engaging in the cheapest form of self-justification.

Why should anyone be surprised by Mourdock's statement? The GOP's positions haven't changed, they are simply being brought to light by the likes of Mourdock and Akin. Willard "Severely Conservative" Romney publicly endorsed Mourdock and his extremism.

A vote for the GOP is a vote to strip women of our right to equal pay, affordable healthcare and the choice to control our own bodies.

Every conservative from Reagan forward has run on their promise to lower the debt and lower the deficit. NONE, including Reagan, has ever done itall

Increase in national debt base on the debt they were given:

Reagan - INCREASE 300%

Bush - INCREASE 200%

Clinton - INCREASE 35%

Bush INCREASE - 200%

Obama INCREASE 60%

Mitt Romney is just repeating the same empty promises with no real solutions. He even knows he is lying to America. He says what you want to hear. Romney hides any details because KNOWS his "plan" will either balloon the deficit and the debt or require large middle class tax increases. He does not have $7 trillion in revenue to balance his budget. Think about it! Where is he going to get all that revenue?

Romney says we were better off 4 years ago. Really?

Is there a business in America that wants 2008 back? Is there an investor that wants 2008 back? Do you want your 401k to go back to where it was in 2008? Losing 700k jobs per month was a good thing? If you think so, vote Romney, and we'll eventually get to re-live it. Yea!

How can a man so devoid of conviction, so jello-like and spineless, so willing to toss his core values just to further his own political ambition, so lacking in integrity and consistency, and so willing to change positions every time the political winds shift be a good leader? Are Americans so gullible, they actually believe a chronic flip-flopper like Mitt Romney?

Romney says "Obama has had 4 years to fix the worst economic disaster in 60 years and hasn't made everything perfect yet so he has to go". But he just said in the debate Monday that even though he would get a recovering economy. HIS polices will take 8-10 years to work? Hmmmmmm?

Don't be so gullible America. A smooth talking snake oil sales who now changes his positions on a weekly basis, does not make him a strong leader!!!!

Who can possibly be surprised to hear that Republican conservatives think that rape is a gift from God?

Now, don’t get the wrong impression from that. Of course rape is bad. Well, legitimate rape is bad. That other kind of rape is…..well, that other kind of rape.

Only forcible rape is bad. All the other kinds of rape certainly aren’t that bad.

And you know what makes all the rapes better? If the woman gets pregnant. Then all those rapes are made oh so much better. Then rapes become a gift. A gift from God.

Even forcible rapes become a gift if the woman gets pregnant.

So, you see, there is no need to have exceptions for rape in the Republican conservative drive to outlaw abortion as homicide.

Oh, and there is no need for exceptions to save the life of the mother, because everyone knows no women die in childbirth, or as a result of pregnancies gone wrong., and even if both the woman and the child dies during childbirth that's just part of the gift.

Nope ALL pregnancies are a gift from God. Even those pregnancies that kill women are a gift from God and are NOT to be meddled with.

And you see, this hold true of incest too! Pregnancies that result from incest are a gift from God too, and so there is no need for a exception there too.

So, that’s it. ALL pregnancies are a gift from God, and therefore any abortion for any reason anytime and anywhere is an affront to God, and there cannot be any exceptions to that.

No, the Republican conservative agenda is clear:

Outlaw abortion as homicide (the punishment for which is execution by the state or life in prison).

No exceptions for rape, because obviously God wanted you be raped and get pregnant.

No exceptions for incest because obviously God wanted you to get pregnant through incest.

No exceptions to save the life of the mother because God obviously wants to mother to die or he wouldn’t have gotten her pregnant.

Anyone who votes for one of the Republican conservatives is condemning women to die.

Sorry Politico. This story is a big nothing. The real story is Obama's BenghaziGate. No amount of spin, deflection, straying off topic, or distraction can turn off that spotlight which is getting brighter.